Roughly one in four women have been given diagnoses of arthritis, compared with about one in five men, according to national health figures. But there are more than a hundred different kinds of arthritis, said Dr. Kelly Weselman, a rheumatologist who spoke on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology, and while some types disproportionately affect women, there are also forms that affect men more.

Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, affects both genders equally, though different joints may be affected in men and women, Dr. Weselman said. Age, weight and trauma play a role, and those “who have played a lot of sports like soccer and football tend to get osteoarthritis in the joints early.”

Other arthritic disorders affect far more women than men, with rheumatoid arthritis affecting three times as many women as men and lupus, an autoimmune condition that affects many organs, including the joints, affecting nine times as many women.